Richard+HarmonLBF

Executive Summary
This survey used a broad range of male and female participants. There were over two hundred participants ranging in ages from 6 to over 70. Educational levels ranged from grade school to grad school. First I looked at the overall survey results. Then I defined my tags. I used different elements to define my searches. I made some notes and began to see some patterns. These patterns showed up in the following ways.

Part 1- What Makes Learning Boring?
My first look at the survey led me to one quick conclusion. Most respondents boring educational experience took place in a classroom setting. This led me to my second incite into boring learning situations.

Many teachers are boring and uninspiring. It did not seem to matter whether a learner was sitting in an elementary classroom or a college lecture hall. Based on this study, content delivery was a main theme in a boring learning situation. Traveler, in her forties, with a college degree writes: “The professor was extremely boring. She didn’t seem to make any effort to make the class more interesting for the students. Granted the material wasn’t exciting material (advanced accounting), but she just lectured and made no attempt to get the students interested in learning.” Hovi, a seven-year-old male, sitting in a first grade classroom says about the same thing. “Circle time is really boring, looking at the teacher.”
 * 1. Teachers are Boring.**

75% of all student learners in our survey reported the expectation of sitting still during their boring learning experience Joyful Jenny, a 13 year old writes: “ I was sitting in my homeroom classroom and my teacher was talking...” Laka, a 27-year-old college student makes the same point. “About 60 people were sitting in a small room. The professor was reading.”
 * 2. Sit Down.**

98% of the respondents felt they should not or were not allowed to move around. Chata, age nine writes, ”It was the class of arithmetic and we have to sit still.”
 * 3. Sit Still.**

Most of the ‘boring’ educational experiences did not allow for interaction. Almost 90% of the boring learning situations allowed for no interaction with the teacher, and over 90% involved no interaction with other learners. Joyful Jenny, a 13 year old writes: “ I was sitting in my homeroom classroom and my teacher was talking...” Laka, a 27-year-old college student makes the same point. “About 60 people were sitting in a small room. The professor was reading .”
 * 4. Shut up.**

I thought this was huge! When looking over the surveys, the requirement for remembering something was a major component to both boring and exciting educational experiences. This is to be expected. What was glaring was the fact that JUST remembering something, without the expectation of critical or creative thinking, made a major difference in how students perceived an educational experience. Without the expectation of performing or presenting, which involve critical and creative thinking, the chances for a boring educational event are very high. Appletown Android wrote: “The process of rote memorization was not a good fit for this study and forced the student to memorize solutions vs. giving them the ability to learn to troubleshoot any issue on their own due to gained familiar knowledge of the equipment and processes.”
 * 5. Don’t Think, Just Remember.**

Part 2- What Makes Learning Fun?
After looking at our study, fun learning occurs within energized learning communities. To make learning fun, learners seek out enthusiastic peers, role models, coaches, and team members. Learners group together with interesting, energized, successful, and motivated people. These students feed off the energy and enthusiasm of others.

When students were allowed to think critically and make choices, the learning was deemed ‘fun’. 100% of the participants in this study felt that way. Carol writes, “We got to pick out own patterns and materials and bring them….” and Bfun83 wrote: “just taking the time to think of the different topics to do the speeches…”
 * 1. You Choose.**

Based on the survey, the expectation for some type of artifact or product will lend itself to a ‘fun learning experience’. Geetar wrote: “Take fake money and 'buy' stock in the real market using real newspapers. Cat concurs “We were asked to dissect an owl pellet and place the bones back in anatomically correct place.”
 * 2. Put Something in My Hand, Please.**

As the lack of movement was described above as a major component to a ‘boring’ educational experience, I can only repeat how important movement is in critique of a ‘fun’ learning experience. It showed up as 80% of the respondents expected or somewhat expected movement in their ‘fun’ learning experience. Boy Scout wrote about his fun learning experience. “Boy Scout camp was a two-week event that included a variety of activities such as tree-age testing, water pollution testing, dissected animals. It also included physical events such as hiking and swimming. In many ways, it gives very basic experiences in surviving in the outdoors.”
 * 3. Let’s Dance!**

Fun and worthwhile learning experiences are directed by people we respect, care about, and have some kind of friendly relationship with. Johnny Appleseed proves this with his quote. “The teacher was good and interesting. We felt he was almost like a fellow student. Everybody was friendly and cooperative.”
 * 4. Why Can’t We Be Friends?**

Simulation leads to stimulation. Big hit on Interaction with other learners, creative and critical thinking outside the classroom environment. The comments echoed over and over that when students were allowed to interact, problem solve, and work in a simulated environment, they had a positive learning experience that they remembered. Fiber One agrees. “This aquarium was divided into different zones which represented different underwater habitats. You "traveled" from the mountain streams, down to rivers and lakes, and finally to the bays, wetlands and oceans. There was interaction with the instructor, and challenging puzzles to solve that required creativity. It wasn't just rote memorization.
 * 5. Get Outside and Fake it.**

Implications
Based on this survey, we know that the track to success lies with energized students. The motivated student will seek out enthusiastic peers, role models, coaches, and team members. They will get together with interesting, energized, successful, and motivated students and teachers. This fun learning experience allows students to feed off the energy and enthusiasm of the students around them and learn from their successful strategies. The activities allow the student to take full responsibility for their own learning.